Improvement in rotary steam-engines



-YOUMANS, of Davenport, in the county of Scott, and

lwith the bars or rods e e,

mit iight,

LEVI sUMNEE AND JAMES YoUMANs, OE DAVENPORT, IovvA.`

Leners Parent No. 87,076, daad Fama/ry 16, 1869.

rMPRovEMENT 1N ROTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

To all whom fitifmayooncemv:

Be it known that we, LEvr SUMNEE and JAMES State of Iowa, have invented a new Rotary Steam-Engine; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.- v f To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a perspective view ofthe engine.

Figure 2is a plan of the same, the top of steam-v chest being removed to show the valves.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the rear end.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of a portion of the engine, longitudinally through the segments,'steamchest, 85e., showing it when the steam isescaping.

Figure 5 is same section, but showing the segment at the time when the steam is acting.4

Figure 6 is a crosssection of a segment.

The blue 'color represents a section-surface, and the gray, a real or natural surface. Y

A is the frame-work, which may be of wood, as here shown, or of iron.

B represents awheel, to the rim of which are bolted segments G, on each side alternately, orthese segments may be cast solid with the wheel B.

The segmentsare hollow, and open at top, as shown, forming a chamber, D, to receive the steam, said chamber being closed at each end, as shown at a, gs. 4 and 5.

E is the steam-chest, supplied by the pipe b.

The steam-chest stands upon an upright, H, which is formedv in a curve, to fitagainst the segments G steam-tight.

This upright H is supported and held-in position by4 bars F F, to which it is bolted, said bars resting in a slot, s, in the frame-work A, and adjusted to fit the wheel or segments by the set-screws x x.

ff, in gsl and 2, are sliding rods, connected, at d,

These bars e o turn on pivots i i, and are connected, .at n, with the valve-rods, to move the valves lv c.

c e are cams, placed on the side of the segments C, to push back the sliding rods f, thereby opening vthe valves c. i

h h are openings in the upright' H, to allow the steam to escape when the segment has moved to the proper point.

gis a valve in the upright H,- and closes iutothe surface, as at`g, iig. 4, but'when the *steam is let in behind, it swings out into the segment-chamber, as at g, iig. 5, which it ts, and keeps the steam from escaning in that direction.

AAThe engine operates as follows:

When lthe segment C reaches the point at which `the cam oeomes in contact with the rod j, the rod is pushed back, opening the valve fv, as at c, figs. 2 and 5-.

The steam throws the swinging valve g outwards,

and into the' chamber D, which it closes, confining the steam, as at g, fig. 5. This segment is therefore driven'forward, in the direction of the arrow, until the cam c reaches another sliding rod, It, which is connected with the rod f bythe vibrating bar w, pivoted in the middle. At this point the cam o pushes back the rod k, which throws forward the rod f, and closes the valve o. The steam may thus be eut off at any point desired, by placing the rod k at a suitable distance below rod f, so that the cam may reach it sooner or later, as required.

After the valve c is closed, the steam works expansively, still' driving they wheel forward, untilthe chamber D reaches the'open hole h, when it escapes.

To cause the steam to pass out through theholes It into the escape-pipe, (not shown,) and tofprevent it fromV passingv out of the chamber into the open air at i,the spring-valve p is placed as shown.

The inclined plane o, at forward end of segment,

presses down the valve p in passing, when it is immediately thrown back into the chamber, and held there by the resistance ofthe spring z.

The segments are so placed on the opposite sides of the rim B, alternately, that before the steam escapes and pressure ceases-on one side, the steam is admitted on the other, and the power is thus applied continually.

For the purpose of reversing the motion, instead of doing it by gearing, inthe usual manner, we propose to place another upright and steam-'chest at the opposite end of the machine, that is, one at each end, and,

with a suitable adjustment of the valves and rods, the

motion will be reversed by merely changing the' steam from one end of the machine to the other.

Having thus described our invention,

l. A steam-engine, consisting of a series of segmental` chambers, D., mounted upon a rotary axis, and having the segmental plate H, with the valves g and p, ar

ranged to operate in connection therewith, substantially as described.

2. The arrangement of the valves c with the rods n, e; f, w,'and k, in combination with the lactuatingeams c, substantially as shown and described.

LEVI SUMNER. J AMES YOUMANS.

Witnesses:

J.- F. DUNBAE, J. P. LYMAN. 

